I’m going to channel Harry Richman’s 1932 song for this post and sing, “I Love A Parade!” It’s that time of year when the City of Canfield puts its best foot forward to celebrate the 4th of July. Our Village Green will be in tip-top shape! The grass will be manicured, and the snow cone, kettle corn, and hot dog vendor will be ready for customers. The grandstand where the dignitaries sit will be decorated patriotically for our traditional hometown festivities.

I’ve participated in the parade several times when I was a school-aged girl. Of course, the Canfield Junior Women’s League bike decorating contest had the most entries during the 1970s. There were heaps of kids on their bikes trying their best not to bump into each other as we rode the parade route. I wrote about decorating our bikes in my post titled, “July 4th, Canfield, Ohio Style”. Check it out under my archives! 

 There are certain moments, however, I’ll never forget about decorating our bikes. The night before the parade we would sit in our garage and carefully weave red, white, and blue crepe paper through the spokes of our banana seat bikes. It was delicate work! Our goal was to get one whole wheel decorated without tearing the paper. The only personal downfall was my yellow bike. For July 4th I always wished it was red or blue just for one day.

 There were several years when I joined the parade with The Leah Flock Dance Studio. Back in the 70s, her studio, located on the Village Green, was the most popular after-school activity. (I’m saving all those details for another post!) For the parade, we were invited to dress in our recital costumes and execute our best cartwheels and dance moves through the entire parade route. I remember working up quite a sweat and being dizzy from tumbling too much as family and friends waved and called our names as we passed by.

I also joined in the 4th of July parade one summer when I played softball at our local fields, McCune Park. It was practically the only athletic contribution I made to the team. I’m sure I only hit the ball a couple of times in one season. However, my team uniform that year was a red jersey with blue lettering. If I was able to color coordinate with the holiday, I would offer my support for the team and walk in the parade! I imagine if my uniform was green like my sister, Michelle, I may have forfeited the walk. Priorities. 

Whether you choose to match the holiday and wear red, white, or blue, I hope you’ll be a spectator at a parade, or perhaps, have the opportunity to participate in one this year. I know I’ll be soaking in all the hometown spirit and sharing my memories of the parades in the small, quaint city I love, Canfield, Ohio. Happy 4th of July weekend!

P.S. That’s me in the picture with pigtails, the white toile skirt, and pink sash looking a little dizzy! The blond cutie next to me is a friend, Traci, who I went through all 12 grades with at Canfield Schools!